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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

CSA Season - Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

I was so excited to sign up for a CSA share this year. When I sent the check in to reserve our spot during a very bleak January, I was imagining hot summer days picking up huge bags of vegetables from the farm and eating fresh meals on the porch. Thankfully, those days are finally here.

Our CSA share is with Tangerini's Farm, a local family owned farm. Today was my second pickup, we have an every other week share, which is a great option for couples or small families. One of my favorite things about the farm is that in addition to the already picked CSA items, there is always a pick-your-own item of the week and the herb garden. Instead of including herbs with the picked items, members can go to the farm anytime and snip whatever they need from the herb garden. This week I took a handful of dill.

Here's a sample of this week's pickup. In the mix (and in a somewhat left-to-right order), swiss chard, kale, zucchini, dill, lettuce (we have been getting three heads a week - hello salads!), escarole, and japanese turnips. Not pictured, and leftover from last week, we still have beet greens and radishes.

Just look at all that leafy green goodness!

I'll share my recipes throughout the week, but so far on the list I'm planning Braised Beet Greens with Chicken Sausage, Escarole and White Beans, Kale Chips (of course!), and Radish and Japanese Turnip Slaw with Creamy Dill Dressing. Last night I made a stir fry including swiss chard and Japanese turnips.

Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce (featuring some CSA veggies)
I don't think it makes sense to use a recipe to make stir fry. The point of stir fry is to throw whatever you have around in a pan, cook it up quickly, mix up a sauce, and be done with it. As such, I won't give you measurements, just the list of what I added to the mix.

Bring your water to a boil, cook the noodles according to package directions. With about 5 minutes remaining, add the chopped broccoli.
Meanwhile, in a large saute or frying pan, heat a little canola oil (or sesame oil) and add the vegetables. Cook for about 5 minutes until slightly softened. I added the turnips at the end so they would stay extra crunchy.

Once the noodles and broccoli are cooked, add them to the pan, and pour the sauce over. Allow to warm through on low for a few minutes, just to let the flavors blend.

For some more CSA recipes, check out my friend Christie's blog - Running From The Kitchen. She has some great ideas, and eats less cheese than I do.